This invention relates to a form of miniature golf course and, more particularly, to a miniature golf course which is a scaled-down version of a normal sized golf course but which retains the characteristics of the normal golf course including having the same par and being played with the same clubs.
Miniature golf courses have become popular because less ground area is needed, a full round of golf can be played in significantly less time, and less physical exertion is required. However, most miniature golf courses are designed as public amusements and do not provide meaningful practice activity for regular golfers.
One example of a miniature golf course where an attempt has been made to overcome the disadvantages of most such courses is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,030 to Ward, where a practice golf ball is used on the fairways which are all 65 feet long instead of being different lengths as in a regular sized golf course. Since the practice ball can be driven 50-80 feet, a skilled golfer should be able to reach the green with one drive so that significantly fewer shots are required than on a regular course. Instead of hitting the ball on the fairway grass, mats are provided at various locations in the fairway so that the practice ball can be placed on the nearest mat for the next shot should the green not be reached with the original drive. The practice ball is replaced by a putting ball formed of solid polyurethane plastic when the practice ball reaches the green.
Another miniature golf course design is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,561 to Baldorossi et al where an oversized ball and clubs are provided which are said to simulate the feel of regulation equipment but which result in the ball traveling a relatively short distance when struck.